Toe pad



Auge, 1940. Tjv POOLE 2.210,304

y TOE PAD f Filed Feb. 26, 1940 ffm-W70@ 7me-ar l. Hadas Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oF-Flcs 4 Claims.

This invention relates to means for protecting the toes of a wearer, and has special reference to a toe tap adapted to cushion and protect the toes of a toe dancer.

It is well known to provide toe pads, caps,

shields or other devices which are worn inside a dancing shoe to protect the dancers toes, these pads variously having been made of sponge rubber, animal fur and other materials. None, however, of these pads' apparently has entirely filled the need, particularly in that sponge rubber has proven too harsh destroying the stockings and actually creating friction which it was the purpose of the pad to avoid, and that fur where turned in such manner that the toes flatten it as they enter the pad loses the larger portion of its resiliency and if oppositely turned so that it mats up, actually does so mat into bunches and after a very minor number of uses becomes substantially worthless.

The objects of the present invention are:

Primarily to provide a toe pad which will protect and cushion the toes under use conditions and which will retain itsl resiliency throughout an extended period.

A further object is to provide a toe pad which will cushion not only the upper surface of the toes, but also the ends of the toes and the sides of the toe portion of the foot.

A further object is to provide a toe pad which is so constructed that the sides and end of the envelope used, as well as' the top and bottom portions thereof, will be substantially smooth and entirely free from ribbed seams, overlaps or other ridge forming portions.

A further object of the invention is to make a pad having a sole or bottom portion substantially free from padding whereby slipping and u ncertainty of action incidental to pad surfaces beneath the foot is' eliminated.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side View of the pad.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the pad.l Fig. 3 is a blank as cut for the bottom of a pad;

and

Fig. 4 the complementary blank for the top of the pad.

Referring now to the drawing in which the various parts are indicated by numerals:

The pad is constructed of a bottom section I0, and a top section II, the edges of the two pieces being abutted and joined together by stitching I2 (o1, sri-8.5)

which is so done as tosubstantially embed the thread in the surfaces of the material and establish an envelope which is continuous and smooth across the joint and from ridges or other protrusions. 5

Both the top section I I and the bottom section I are of soft tanned sheep skin, the wool being retained on the top section and turned inward to form a soft padded surface over the top of the toes and. along the sides and ends thereof. The wool however is removed from the bottom section to give secure footing.

The bottom section is substantially the Width of the finished pad though theedges curve slightly upward in the finished article, and the top section is sufficiently large that its side edges and front end may be turned down and joined to the edges of the bottom section.

Gores I3 are cut in the toe end of the top section I I and the edges of these gores' abutted and secured by stitching I4 to` shape the toe end of the pad.

In cutting the top section I I, care is taken that the nap or fiber of the wool I will be disposed and overlap toward the toe end in such manner that the entrance of the toes into the pad tends to straighten out and maintain its natural lay. Also, since the pad narrows toward the toe, the fiber of the wool naturally overhangs the seam by which the two pieces of the pad are joined, and the joining seams `of the gores, and so doing effectually masks these joints and completes their effacement interiorly of the pad.

It will be understood that it is not the use of sheep skin per se as' a material that is of impartance, but the use of a material inherently soft and pliable and having a matted surface such as wool has, which possesses the properties of resilience yet with al1 smoothness and softness and inherently maintain such properties,l as distinguished from fur which,while soft, has the disadvantages of flattening with the lay of the l.hair into a more or less solid mass, or, reversely turned, of matting unevenly and rapidly breaking down. 45

In constructing the pads the edges of the bottom and top sections Il) and II are abutted and whipped together with stitching I2 which maintains their abutting alignment, and the edges of the gores are similarly abutted and secured together with stitching I4. In assembling, the wool I5 is turned inward. When completed the wool extends across the seams' and completely shields them from Contact with the foot, and pro- 55 tectingly covers the topy and substantially the entire side and toe ends of the foot.

I claim:

1. A toe pad, comprising a top section of soft tanned sheep skin or the like with the wool thereon, the nap of said wool overlapping toward the toe end of said section and extending beyond the edges thereof, said section being of an area to cover the top and extend downward over the major portion of the sides and the forward end of the foot, and. having gores cut in said toe end, and a bottom section of dehaired soft tanned leather, of definitely less area than said top section and having relatively minor edge portions complementary to said top edge portions; said top section being turned with the wool inward, the edges of said sections, and the edges of said gores, respectively, being brought into abutting relation and whipped together by stitching in at relation, the resulting seams inherently beingcovered by said wool.

2. A toe pad comprising top and bottom secn tions, of soft tanned sheep slain or the like, with the wool retained on the top section only, said top section being of definitely larger area than said Ibottom section, and having gores cut in the forward end thereof; said top section being turned with the wool inward, the edges of said sections, and the edges of said gores, respectively, being brought into abutting relation and whipped together by stitching in at relation,

whereby the seams joining said sections will lie` below the center of the foot, and all said seams interiorly of the pad will be covered by said Wool.

3. A toe pad comprising top and bottom sections of soft tanned sheep skin or the like, with the wool retained on said top section, the nap of said wool overlapping toward the toe end of said section, said top section being of denitely larger area than said bottom section and being turned with the wool inward; the edges of said sections, being brought into abutting relation and whipped together by stitching in iiat relation, the resulting seams being inherently covered by said wool.

4. A toe pad comprising an envelope of soft tanned leather open at one end, having the interior of the top, side and closed end portions lined with matted, resilient wool-like material disposed with the material overlapping toward said closed end.

TREEBY V. POOLE. 

